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China pages

Beijing

The Great Wall

Chengdu

Xi'an

Fangshan

Zhiangjiajie

Jiuzhaigou

Biogeography of China

China 2017 itinerary - May 3, 2017 - May 22, 2017

May 3, 2017 Wednesday

SFO to Beijing on United

Dropped off by Wendy

May 4, 2017 Thursday

Arrive China, clear customs, ATM

Share cab to Dengcao hutong, I got dropped off first

Beijing Fly by Knight Courtyard, No.6 DengCao Hutong, DongCheng District, Beijing

Josh came by Hostel

Dinner with Josh - Peking duck

Fly by Knight - first night

May 5, 2017 Friday

Breakfast at the hostel

Visit Soho Galaxy

Forbidden City – take photos by exit

Meet Li Hua

Walk to Jingshan park

Tea at government tea house in park

Walk up park hill with look out over Forbidden City

Meet up with Josh Friedman and take subway

Daoist temple with Josh

Dinner with family from Poland - Rafael, Magdelena, and daughter Sophia (15 yo)

Peking duck - second time, different restaurant

Fly by Knight - second night

May 6, 2017 Saturday

Breakfast at the hostel

Return visit to Soho Galaxy

Josh and Yilin met me at the Hostel

Rent public bikes

Photos of CCTV Tower

Go to the top of China World Trade Centre Tower III - at that time, the tallest completed building in Beijing

Ritan Park, a.k.a. Temple of the Sun with Yilin and Josh

Fly by Knight - third night

May 7, 2017 Sunday

Breakfast at the hostel

Stop at inn and meet Mike's friend, Lao Duan

Lunch at Lao Duan's restaurant

Great Wall at Gubeikou including sunset

Had my first opportunity to fly a drone

Dinner Lao Duan's restaurant

Drive back to Beijing, returning late

Fly by Knight - fourth night

May 8, 2017 Monday

Breakfast at the hostel

Walk to Lama temple

Green tea soft serve ice cream

Ditan (Dìtán) Park aka Temple of the Earth

Camera hitch failed and 7Dmark2 was damaged - SD card slot no longer functional

Walk through local hutongs

Subway back to hostel

Fly by Knight - fifth night

May 9, 2017 Tuesday

Breakfast at the hostel

Rental public bike (though Hostel staff)

Coffee with Lucy Hornby, Lucille Hornby and Josh Freedman - 9:30 meet-up at the Hatchery but it was closed

Walk to Tiananmen Square with Lucille - through several parks

Walk along Beiheyuan Street Park

Walk along Tiananmen East Frontage Park (off E. Chang'an Street but along canal)

Lucille went to museum and I hung out in the square taking pictures

"Altar of Earth and Harvests" Park by Palace Moat (park to the left of Mao's picture)

Beihai Park

Yoghurt from stand

Boat on Taihu Lake with

Qionghua (Jade Flower) Island

Climb stupa

Watch giant calligraphy demonstration

Pork buns at store font restaurant in park

Walk back to hostel

China Post ATM ate my card

Fly by Knight - sixth night

May 10, 2017 Wednesday

Breakfast at the hostel

Retrieve credit card from China Post with manager from the Fly by Knight

Pack to the hostel to meet up with Josh

Check out

Subway to meeting spot

Meet up with Bonan Shan who drive into the Mountains

Lunch at a small restaurant before getting to the park

Fangshan Global Geopark of China, BaiHuaShan Scenic District

Hiking with Josh and Bonan

Bonan dropped me off at Holiday Inn Haiden near Tsinghua - 1 night

May 11, 2017 Thursday

Breakfast at the hotel

Walk to Tsinghua

Laundry at Schwarzman

Lunch at Schwarzman

Taxi to airport with Jordan and Torre

Torre left her suitcase at the airport - realized it just after we boarded

Fly to Chengdu - Hainan Airlines - HU7247

Max, Jason, and Steph arrived much later in the evening and managed to find and bring Torre's suitcase

Meet at airport by Lao Yao who drove us to our hotel

May 12, 2017 Friday

Breakfast at the hotel

Panda Reserve - day one

Hotpot for late lunch

Scholars went back to hotel to work

Du Fu's Thatched Cottage park and museum with Lao Yao

Met two nurses and three photographers and we all explored together

Broad Alley

Met back up with Scholars

May 13, 2017 Saturday

Panda Reserve - day two with Jordan and Lao Yao

Hotpot with Lao Yao and Jordan

Baoguang Buddhist Temple with Hall of Arhats - 518 statues

Lao Yao drove us back to the airport

Fly

Dinner at hostel - Yak pizza

Jiuzhaigou Tibetan Barley Yododo Inn - first night

May 14, 2017 Sunday

Breakfast at the hostel - Yak noodles

Jiuzhaigou National Park

Super crowded most of the day

Dinner at hostel

Jiuzhaigou Tibetan Barley Yododo Inn - second night

May 15, 2017 Monday

Predawn drive down the mountain to the airport

Fly to Xi'an - Sichuan Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport

Long layover in Xi'an

Stop at airport Starbucks

Taxi solo to see the warriors - very expensive

Terra Cotta warriors

Hire guide - Peter

Meet Yang Zhifa - farmer who accidentally discovered the warriors

Driver waited with my stuff and drove me to the Muslim quarter - negotiated a deal through the guide

Lamb skewers (yangrouchuar) and yoghurt

Two taxis together to the airport

Fly to Zhangiajie - China Eastern Airlines

Drive to Wulingyuan

Wulingyuan Zhongtian International Youth Hostel - first night

Room with Jordan

May 16, 2017 Tuesday

Zhangjiajie National Park - day 1

Purchase multiple day park pass

Tram up the mountain

Dinner in town

Noah and I got foot massages

Wulingyuan Zhongtian International Youth Hostel - second night

Room with Jordan

May 17, 2017 Wednesday

Zhangjiajie National Park - day 2

Tram up the mountain

Monkey encounter - crossing the river in the late afternoon

Max, Bonnie, and Jason headed back to Beijing

Wulingyuan Zhongtian International Youth Hostel - third night

Jordan moved in with students

May 18, 2017 Thursday

Zhangjiajie National Park - day 3

Hike up the mountain with Jordan and Noah

Jordan and Noah headed down and I stayed in the park

Meet and hike with Justin from Taiwan

Hike to Celestial Bridge and Emperor with Justin

Hike solo to One Dangerous Step and Cock Peaking

Meet back up with Justin and walk to bus station

They decided not to run my bus since I was the only person who wanted to go

Pay a local to take me to the elevator - Justin helped me negotiate

Bailing Elevator down

Free park bus back to Wulingyuan

Got back after dinner

Jordan went with me to some stands to grab some pork buns

Wulingyuan Zhongtian International Youth Hostel - fourth night

May 19, 2017 Friday

Breakfast at restaurant a few doors down from Hostel

Yellow Dragon Cave (Huanglong Cave)

Cab together to hotel in Zhangjiajae (40 km)

Emma, manager from the hotel dropped us off at a nearby restaurant - not my favorite

Wangyi Hostel - one night

May 20, 2017 Saturday

Breakfast (solo) at hostel - excellent, including bone dry cappuccino which I taught the staff how to make

Tianmen Mountain

Mango smoothy for lunch

Noah introduces us to the purple mangosteen

Emma was eager to show us her boss's collection of tea paraphernalia, including some antique items

Taxis to airport

Sent back to check-in with Noah - my suitcase was held up due to Luci lamp solar panel.

Second hold up in security as they made me remove my ankle brace

Rush to get plane

Fly back to Beijing via Changsha

3 hour delay in Changsha due to traffic in Beijing

Take separate cab to hotel arrive after 3:30 am

Holiday Inn Express Dongzhimen - first night

May 21, 2017 Sunday

Breakfast at the hotel

Great Wall at Chenjiabao

Meet up with second car with Wayne, Vivian, and two middle schoolers - Bill and Isabella

Refined my drone flying skills - second time

Lunch on the wall

The other left early and we continued to hike

Hike past interesting transition zone where the wall abruptly goes from unrestored to restored

Although I saw one other person in the distance, we did not actually encounter a single other hiker!

Hike down off the wall and back along the road - antlion encounter

Dinner at Great Wall Fresh

Drive back

Jordan sent the stuff I stored in his room over to the hotel by cab

Holiday Inn Express Dongzhimen - second night

May 22, 2017 Monday

Breakfast at the hotel

Cab to airport

Cross dateline and arrive before I took off

Supershuttle home

Get to Stanford in time to teach my Virology Inquiry Project class

Related pages

China 2001

Acknowledgements

There are many, many people to thank for making this such an extraordinary trip.
(It feels like I am about to make an academy award speech.)
These include people I already knew, people I got to know, as well as many transient encounters that will result in enduring memories.
I must begin with Jordan Shapiro and Josh Freedman - two former students and dear friends.
Their generosity in time and spirit and in sharing their network of friends defined the entire trip.
(It also helped that their Mandarin is excellent.
In Chengdu, Lao Yao was an amazing host!
It was a tremendous pleasure and education to travel with seven Schwarzman Scholars, studying for the year at Schwarzman College Tsinghua University:
Jordan Shapiro, Torre Lavelle, Steph Burrell, Max Seunik, Noah Elbot, Jason Heo, and Bonnie Lei.
On two separate days, Mike Cooper took me with him to the Great Wall and shared his love and knowledge of this amazing architecture feat.
I am hooked.
Josh also introduced me to Yilin and Bonan Shan, two of his friends from Beijing. I spent a wonderful day with each of them.
It was great to be able to meet up with Lucy and Lucille Hornby,
Lucille being the sister of my dear friend Liz McLoughlin.
Every day, I met many people who added wonderful and unexpected components to my experience.
On my first morning, a departing Swiss couple on their way to the airport handed me their subway card with several remaining rides.
The second night, a Polish family invited me to join them for a wonderful Peking duck dinner.
A few days later, Lao Duan treated us to a delicious lunch and dinner at his restaurant
Josh's friend Bonon drove us into the mountains near Beijing for another wonderful day of hiking.
A Taiwanese sociology student, named Justin, became my hiking partner one afternoon in Zhangjiajie.
And so on.
To EVERYONE who contributed to this extraordinary experience, I offer my sincere gratitude!